"It's Kirlia."
After confirming that the Pokémon Xiaozhi—Ash—sent out was indeed Kirlia, Miwako furrowed her brows. The Fairy-type hadn't taken any damage earlier. She simply couldn't understand Ash's intent.
How could she know that Ash's true strength stemmed from his ability to read the flow of Aura—not "chakra eyes" or anything so mystical to her understanding.
"Claydol, use Heavy Slam!"
Although Miwako didn't know why Ash switched Pokémon, this was not the time to overthink it.
Claydol hovered overhead for a moment, then suddenly dropped from the sky like a meteor, aiming to crush Kirlia beneath its massive weight.
Ash, meanwhile, watched with narrowed eyes.
He had always been intrigued by Pokémon like Claydol. Despite lacking a Flying-type or Levitate, Claydol could suspend itself freely in the air. It couldn't soar high, but the mere act of floating with that ancient body was an incredible phenomenon.
"Sand Shield."
Blue psychic light erupted from Kirlia, instantly forming a sandy psychic barrier above her.
Boom!
Crack!
Claydol smashed into the shield with a deafening crash. Spiderweb-like fractures spread across the surface—proof of just how destructive Claydol's weight-based attack truly was.
"These strange skills… this guy is hard to predict."
Miwako exhaled helplessly. Her Claydol was strong, but her tactical options were limited.
"Sand Hand!"
Kirlia's psychic power swelled, forming a massive sandy hand that shot forward to grab Claydol.
"Claydol's attack power is extremely high. Between its hardened shell and absurd weight, a clean hit would take away half of Kirlia's stamina instantly… Looks like we'll need long-range pressure. We can't let Claydol get close."
As Claydol twisted through the air, dodging the pursuing sandy hand, Ash calmly evaluated the field. He never held back in battle—especially not in a Gym environment.
"What an annoying move… everywhere at once. Claydol, High-Speed Spin!"
No matter how Claydol moved, the Sand Hand chased it relentlessly. Unable to endure the harassment, Miwako finally counterattacked.
"Cha!"
Claydol pulled its limbs inward and began spinning violently. The protruding rods on its shell became jagged rotating blades, ready to grind through anything that touched them.
Bang!
The Sand Hand collided with the spinning Claydol and instantly tore apart, the rotation shredding a massive chunk out of the construct.
"Useless! During High-Speed Spin, Claydol's defense is nearly impenetrable."
Miwako regained her confidence.
"Claydol, keep spinning and charge straight at Kirlia!"
The low hum of rotation grew louder and sharper—everyone present could tell Claydol's attack and defense had doubled, maybe tripled.
"Sand Shield!"
Kirlia dismissed the remnants of the Sand Hand and reformed the sandy psychic barrier in front of her.
Boom!
Zzzzzz—
Claydol's spinning body ground against the barrier like a sawblade tearing through stone.
Crack!
A fracture formed at the point of impact—then widened—then spread to the very edge of the shield.
"It seems I win this time."
Miwako grinned. Psychic Pokémon shared a common weakness: flimsy physical durability. They could rarely withstand repeated physical strikes like this.
"Hmph… Buddha Palm."
The moment Ash spoke, tremendous psychic power surged from Kirlia. Two massive spiritual arms—shaped like flowing river-sand—formed beside her, radiating overwhelming force.
At that moment, Kirlia spread her hands, fingers curling together with delicate precision. As she moved, the colossal psychic hands formed from her mental power mirrored the motion exactly—two enormous palms closing in on Claydol like a crushing vice.
"No—Claydol, dodge!" Miwako shouted.
Boom!
Her warning came a second too late.
Claydol was caught dead center between the two massive psychic palms as they slammed together with overwhelming force, the impact echoing across the battlefield.
"Hold that position—Sandstorm Burial!"
BOOM!!!!
The instant Ash gave the command, the space between the giant palms detonated with a violent surge of psychic pressure. Turbulent waves of sandy energy spread outward in every direction.
"This is impossible…! That power—this technique is hitting A+ class output. How can a Pokémon at Gym Leader level use something like this so easily?"
Miwako's voice trembled. She could hardly believe what she was witnessing.
"There's nothing impossible about it."
Ash's voice was steady, eyes sharp.
"A trainer's job is to amplify a Pokémon's strengths. Since the day Kirlia hatched, I've trained her mental control relentlessly. It's her innate advantage."
For a brief moment, as Ash spoke, Miwako felt a chill run down her spine.
In the silhouette behind Ash, she thought she saw a towering figure—eyes glowing blood-red, spinning with three tomoe, watching her mercilessly.
Her breath caught.
Snap—!
The smashed sand barrier dispersed, and Claydol staggered free from the crushing psychic palms. Its shell was cracked all over, pieces of ancient armor barely holding together.
Even for a Pokémon famed for its immense defense, the Sandstorm Burial had done visible, brutal damage.
"You're still standing? As expected of a Pokémon with monstrous defense," Ash said calmly. "In that case—Kirlia, use Continuous Sand Barrage."
Countless sand-forged psychic bullets materialized around Kirlia, revolving in orbit like a storm of glittering projectiles, each one humming with dense mental power.
They fired all at once—
sharp, relentless, unending.